Improvement in cutting apparatus for harvesters



l*UNITED STATESv PATENT OFFICE.

. GEO. Fn'rrnn, or PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, AssIo'Non rro nIII'sELP AND EDWD. JONES AND JACKSON I. COMLEY, OF SAME PLACE..

I Il'VIPRO\ /`EMEN`"v IIN CUTTINGAPPARATUS FOR.HRVESTERS.".

Specificationforrning part of LettersPatenirNo'. 27,75 7, dated April 3, 1860.-

To all whom it may concern:

' rBe it known. that. I, GEORGE FET'IER, of the city and county. of Philadelphia, and., State of Pennsylvania, have inventeda new and useful lmpro'vetnentin Cutting Apparatus for-Harvvesters; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the,`

, saine, reference being had to the accompanying drawings', and to the-lettersl of reference `Inarked thereon.

2 My invention'relates to improvements-in ar-- ranging and operating thevibrating' knives of harvesters; and my improvements consist in so arranging therknives on separate inclined' planes 'formedon the cutter-bar thatth'ey will under andoverlap each other in the manner de scribed hereinafter; also, in certain reciprocat; ing dririii'grotlswith projections orth'elr equiv# falents so. combined v.with 'and arranged inre spect lto the forked endsof the shanksof lthe vibrating lknives`that the said knives shall bef movedv alternately from a point` above anda pointbelow their cutting-plane, thus causing thecutting-'edges to beinvariablyi-n close conv tact with each other,:antl to have that shear-,g ing eecton'the granor grass, .which cannot. f be attained bythe ordinary. knives; which'mov'e;

invariably inthe same plane, "as more. fully; explainedv hereinafter. l e

- In order to enablev others skilled in this class of machines' to make V`and use Iny'inventiomgl will now proceed -to 'describe' Vits construction- .evd Qleration. i 'i ,f On'rel'erenoe to the aocompanyin g'drawin gs,

which `forma part of this,specicationaFignre lisa plan view of afport'ion of'iny'improved` cutting apparatus for" harvesters5` ligm2,V thesaniewith the ,knivesyin `dineren-1 position; Fig. 3, a' back View Qfthecutter-bar and driv` ing-rods; Fig. 4,a lon 'tliidinfal verticalsection' on-the line; 2, Fig. l' Fi`g 5, atransve'rse ver-l Q tical section on the line 3 eFig'. 1.

partsthrou I Similarletters referrlio similar ounthef several views".- Y A A is the cutterbar;.` B,B, B2., ands-B3, the, knives; and C and D ,"'tl1el two'driving-rods, to ,which a reciprocating Ymotion in contrary di1 rections is imparted I by anyvsuit-able system of rods, cranks, or leversactuated from the drivingshaft of the harvester. Ontl'Ie'entter-barf are formed 'a seriesof inclined planes parallel with each other, and best observed on refer,-

` 1A and 2, onecutting-eiige of the knife Boverj lapping that'of the adjacent knife, B2, and the other cutting-edge of the `saine knife being throughoutv the whole; series ot' knives. The shauk'0teachknifeis forked at the end in the l manner shown in Fig.5,.'oi1e prong being above and the other below the cutting-plane.

reniar'kemfhave' a lreciprocatin g tno-tion in contirary directions imprtedto them) are pro vided `above` and .below lwith projections' arlranged to bear against the forked ends of the, .shanksofthev knives in the f ollowingmanner:

faand lower projectionsf, the former'for bearfingagainst the upperprongsm and the latter foibearing.: against, the' lower prongs n n of tle forkedends-.of, thefk'niv'es B and B2. The driving-rodhas falso two upper projections 'h'h'for bearingvfagainst the upper prongs pp oftheforksbi.theiknives-Bland B3, the two v'lower projectioilsfy for bearing against the tworlowerprongsfqq' oflthesaine knives'.

in the l'iositionllillustrated iii `Fig. 2,'theftwo knive`\.s1:`'. amLBZv having accomplished their jointcnttingfaction, the pair-YB and 13jandthe thereby tending ,to move' `the. Yfrofntffends 'ot' .these knives in the direction, ol' the arrows.Y

VAs th'eforce .which moves vthese' knives is api the prongs 'ata point belo w their cuttingplane, and as" theknives, are hungloosely to the cutl-y terbar, it will heevident that'thepower, thus applied willtend to turnthecutting-etlges'ma overlanpedbythat'of the'knife B, and so on The'driving-rods G `and D (which, as before Thedriving-'ba'r D has the upper projections .Nomjsupposing-.the cutting apparatus' tobe I the two. driv-ingrbars: Uffand "D .being conse-y yreetioirindicatedfthe .lower projectionsf on' the rodi) Will bear againstthe' lower-prongs n n ofthe' forked. endsof the knives B andBz,

pliedby t'heproiections ofl the driving-rod to powerbeing thus applied ata point above the ed ges y y must necessarily be turned up'againstv .the under surface of the adjacent knives.

I that as the knives vibatejthey 'are 'so tilted that their cutting-edges are in close contact which tends to sever the stalks of grainor grass with greaterfacility and'atvthe'e'xpense of less power 'thaijby the ordinato- Cutters ofpthe knives Bl and`B3." At thesame time upper prongs p p of the said knivesi'theYA cutting-planes of. lfthe knives, their cutting-- It will be seen, without'urther description;

with Aeach other, producing 'a shearing" effect,

which move in til'e4same'unchangingv piane.- v

I claim as mv invention andrdesire to. secnre ,scribinggf witnesses.

ofthe knives 1? and B down ontothe srface; J1.' rr'anginvgthe iiibratingknives upon separate inclinedfpl'anesvso formed on the clitterbar thatthe'said knives ina-y undexl'ap a'nd'ov'er- Iapleach'other in the manner. specified.Av

' 2. .The'driving-barsOand 1),.withftheir 're, spective projections or eqnivalentstheretofin combination with the inclined knives and their forkedl Shanks,l the whole being arranged and operatng'snbstantiaily in the manner and lfor;` the purpose herein-*set forth.

I n testimony whereof 1 have signed my .name

to this specification in the presence of two subj Witnesses': HENRY HowsoN,

CHAnLns D. FREEMAN. 

